Media’s Morbid Messages
"We are all different, unique and one of a kind, why should we all strive to be the same?" (Common Sense Media). This statement was one of thousands of comments presented on a controversial image. The photo presented a woman named Stella who exposed her perceived body flaws. Each decade within the past century had different fashion ideals for women. From the flapper girl in the 1920s to the icon Marilyn Monroe in the 1950s, women have tried desperately to attain society’s classified “beauty” (“Body Image and BMI: 100 Years in the US”). Media is a variety of sources ranging from billboards, commercials, movies, magazines, and social media posts. Body image is defined by Merriam Webster dictionary as “"a subjective picture …show more content…
A powerful video encourages parents, and can be applied to ourselves, to "Try to focus your feedback on other aspects of your teens' identities - their skills, hobbies, and interests” (Common Sense Media). Your identity is not swallowed up in beauty alone, but is also molded by your hobbies, likes, and values. The Duchess from England reported that “There's something horribly upsetting about eight-year-olds fretting over the aesthetic when all they should care about is the utilitarian: how far can my body run, how high can I make it jump or climb? We can blame social media, but it's not going anywhere, so all we can do is try to negotiate its perils and offer real-world activities (Daily Telegraph). There if far more importance to having a healthy, functioning body than taking extreme, harmful measures to obtain a "perfect" image. The Express Tribune, a Pakistan newspaper, posted that "...beauty is diverse; it is internal and emanates from the person instead of her form” ("The Doll Effect”). If we look past physical attributes, we can find beauty in personality, a smile, or positivity. Changing our mindset can destroy criticism and form friendships. The newspaper continues that "The idealization of this warped standard of beauty de-values women in others' eyes and their own” ("The Doll Effect"). Beauty’s definition extends beyond physical appearance or the "standards of society". Looking past the artificial ideas, we …show more content…
For instance, many claim that women are only affected by the messages in media, and of them there is a small percentage, therefore media and body image is not problematic. It may be true that women struggle more with body image than men, however there is a rising number of young men who desire gaining weight and muscle mass. Cristina, the student researcher, concluded that "Between 28% and 68% of normal weight adolescent boys and young men feel that they are underweight and want to gain weight and muscle” (Avila 16). Nonetheless, others explain that the majority of people are not influenced by messages in the media. Some researchers say that not every person that views unrealistic media images have negative feelings, yet, body image problems continue to rise and there will be a greater prevalence of eating disorders. A team of medical researchers in Manipal University have concluded that "Over the years, the number of people having body image concerns and eating disorders have increased worldwide; and longitudinal research suggest that it may accumulate further” (Singh 10). The increase of technology translates to greater communication to the public, meaning more damaged self-worth if we ignore media’s advertisement of idealistic
"We are all different, unique and one of a kind, why should we all strive to be the same?" (Common Sense Media). This statement was one of thousands of comments presented on a controversial image. The photo presented a woman named Stella who exposed her perceived body flaws. Each decade within the past century had different fashion ideals for women. From the flapper girl in the 1920s to the icon Marilyn Monroe in the 1950s, women have tried desperately to attain society’s classified “beauty” (“Body Image and BMI: 100 Years in the US”). Media is a variety of sources ranging from billboards, commercials, movies, magazines, and social media posts. Body image is defined by Merriam Webster dictionary as “"a subjective picture …show more content…
A powerful video encourages parents, and can be applied to ourselves, to "Try to focus your feedback on other aspects of your teens' identities - their skills, hobbies, and interests” (Common Sense Media). Your identity is not swallowed up in beauty alone, but is also molded by your hobbies, likes, and values. The Duchess from England reported that “There's something horribly upsetting about eight-year-olds fretting over the aesthetic when all they should care about is the utilitarian: how far can my body run, how high can I make it jump or climb? We can blame social media, but it's not going anywhere, so all we can do is try to negotiate its perils and offer real-world activities (Daily Telegraph). There if far more importance to having a healthy, functioning body than taking extreme, harmful measures to obtain a "perfect" image. The Express Tribune, a Pakistan newspaper, posted that "...beauty is diverse; it is internal and emanates from the person instead of her form” ("The Doll Effect”). If we look past physical attributes, we can find beauty in personality, a smile, or positivity. Changing our mindset can destroy criticism and form friendships. The newspaper continues that "The idealization of this warped standard of beauty de-values women in others' eyes and their own” ("The Doll Effect"). Beauty’s definition extends beyond physical appearance or the "standards of society". Looking past the artificial ideas, we …show more content…
For instance, many claim that women are only affected by the messages in media, and of them there is a small percentage, therefore media and body image is not problematic. It may be true that women struggle more with body image than men, however there is a rising number of young men who desire gaining weight and muscle mass. Cristina, the student researcher, concluded that "Between 28% and 68% of normal weight adolescent boys and young men feel that they are underweight and want to gain weight and muscle” (Avila 16). Nonetheless, others explain that the majority of people are not influenced by messages in the media. Some researchers say that not every person that views unrealistic media images have negative feelings, yet, body image problems continue to rise and there will be a greater prevalence of eating disorders. A team of medical researchers in Manipal University have concluded that "Over the years, the number of people having body image concerns and eating disorders have increased worldwide; and longitudinal research suggest that it may accumulate further” (Singh 10). The increase of technology translates to greater communication to the public, meaning more damaged self-worth if we ignore media’s advertisement of idealistic